Come meet our adoptable animals live and in-purr-son at HSLC’s next adoption event! We’ll be at the Dulles Landing PetSmart from 1pm to 3pm on Sunday, May 5. For a sneak peek of our adoptable animals, please visit the Humane Society of Loudoun County website!

If a particular fur-baby (or two) catches your eye, complete an application today to expedite the application process.

 

The Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC) will be at the Alamo Drafthouse at One Loudoun for The Garfield Movie.

While we can’t promise a lasagna-eating orange cat, we will be bringing a lovely assortment of adorable cats for you to meet. We’ll also be offering HSLC merch in support of our life-saving mission!

For times and tickets, visit the Alamo website.

 

Come meet our adoptable animals live and in-purr-son at HSLC’s next adoption event! We’ll be at the Dulles Landing PetSmart from 1pm to 3pm on Sunday, March 24. For a sneak peek of our adoptable animals, please visit the Humane Society of Loudoun County website!

If a particular fur-baby (or two) catches your eye, complete an application today to expedite the application process.

 

By Oliver Bittenbender

Caring for any foster animal can be a very rewarding experience. We recently published a blog about the reasons to foster an adult cat (vs. kittens). But we wanted to follow up with a foster story to bring these benefits to life.

Jill’s Story

During the pandemic, Jill Belsky adopted two fully grown cats. In her words, “I loved that we could adopt cats that had a rough past and provide them with a fresh beginning.” Jill loved the cats so much that she wanted to welcome more into her home. But, with a human family to care for, she couldn’t take in and keep as many cats as she wanted.

So, Jill found a clever compromise, “I thought fostering could be a great way to enjoy being with more cats, while also providing a beneficial service for animals in need.” So, she signed up to be a foster caregiver with the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC). And, given that she already had a great experience with adult cats in her home, she was very open to fostering a mature cat like Briar Rose.

A Lot to Love

Briar Rose has made for a fantastic first-time foster experience. Having matured and mellowed out, she requires far less attention from her caretakers than kittens. As a standard best practice, Briar Rose was initially placed in a safe space–in this case, a spare room. This provided her with a chance to adjust to her new surroundings prior to being given free rein to explore the house. Before long, Briar Rose was snuggling right up to her new humans, showing how comfortable she was around them. She has also taken well to the other two cats, Robin and Edie.

Jill finds that each cat “offers such unique interests, personality traits and ways of sharing their love.” From stroking her soft fur to watching her pounce at string toys and scratching posts, the Belsky family has found a lot to love about Briar Rose. Bonding with the new cat has been a rewarding experience for the whole family.

Words of Encouragement

Jill encourages those on the fence about fostering to think about the long-term difference they could make in a cat’s life for a relatively short-term responsibility. Homeless cats depend on kind people to be the bridge from their past to a happy and healthy life in a forever home. And though it may seem daunting at first, caring for a cat can quickly become second nature. “Before you know it,” Jill says, “you’ll likely fall in love with the foster cat, and any concerns you originally had become negligible.” Plus, with the care and support of the many amazing volunteers at HSLC, a foster caregiver is never alone in their journey.

Learn more about fostering with HSLC and complete a no-obligation application today!

Come meet our adoptable animals live and in-purr-son at HSLC’s next adoption event! We’ll be at the Dulles Landing PetSmart from 1pm to 3pm on Sunday, February 18th. For a sneak peek of our adoptable animals, please visit the Humane Society of Loudoun County website!

If a particular fur-baby (or two) catches your eye, complete an application today to expedite the application process.

 

For most folks who celebrate Christmas, the tree has been taken down and the decorations stored away for another year. But, we had one more story bursting with holiday joy that we couldn’t keep to ourselves!

Supportive Fostering Experience

Ladybelle had been rescued by the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC) in the fall of 2022. Despite her beauty, Ladybelle had trouble finding her forever home due to some sassiness. Fortunately, she landed with a patient and loving foster family, the Burbages, who helped her mature into a sweet young ladycat.

And, in turn, the Burbage family had the support of HSLC’s Animal Care Team (ACT). Mom Nicole had this to say about ACT Director, Amy Richards, “You have been an angel throughout this whole experience! Whether we had questions about behavior, medical issues or general cat questions, you’ve always been there for us as we navigated through the fostering experiences. As far as the Burbage family is concerned, YOU ROCK!!!”

Extra Special Adoption

Now, the best “mews”. As a wonderful Christmas morning present, Nicole decided to surprise her children by officially adopting Ladybelle! Amy even created a special certificate to make the adoption extra official! After 15 months of fostering, Nicole feels that they finally have their happy ending. “We just love her to bits and pieces!”

Fostering to Adopt

Not all rescues allow fostering-to-adopt, but HSLC does. So, if you are thinking about adopting an animal, consider fostering first to see if they are a good fit for your household. Likewise, if you want to give fostering a try, don’t worry that you won’t be able to keep your foster cat or dog. Foster caregivers have the right of first refusal if they decide to add the foster animal to their family.

If you are new to fostering, you may find the following blogs helpful:

• Interview with a First-time Foster Mom
• How Do You Foster without Getting Attached? You Don’t.
• Pawsome Foster Stories

Come meet our adoptable animals live and in-purr-son at HSLC’s next adoption event! We’ll be at the Dulles Landing PetSmart from 1pm to 3pm on Sunday, January 14th. For a sneak peek of our adoptable animals, please visit the Humane Society of Loudoun County website!

If a particular fur-baby (or two) catches your eye, complete an application today to expedite the application process.

 

Come meet the animals hoping to find a home for the holidays! Please visit the Humane Society of Loudoun County website to check out the current crew!

If a particular fur-baby catches your eye, complete an application today to expedite the application process.

 

The Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC) will be at the Alamo Drafthouse at One Loudoun for The Marvels.

Any Marvel fan knows that Goose the “cat” steals every scene she’s in!  So, we’ll be bringing some of our own scene-stealing kitties for you to meet. We’ll also be offering HSLC merch in support of our life-saving mission!

For times and tickets, visit the Alamo website.

 

Come meet our adoptable cats and kitties live and in-purr-son! For a sneak peek, please visit the Humane Society of Loudoun County website to check out the current clowder!

If a particular feline (or two) catches your eye, complete an application today to expedite the application process.